Good evening, Family! 🙏🏽
This week, we praise God for:
💟 Evelyn thanks God that Brianna will have another Birthday this week. She prays God will continue to bless her on her special day and always!
💟 Angy thanks God for bringing Jordan through this very difficult year to his birthday. She asks that the church continues to pray for him and his health.
💟Vasthi praised God that He also gave Carole another year of life, as her birthday was also this past week. Vasthi is also grateful for the traveling mercies the Lord granted her and Sharon, as they are visiting Sharon's family in Florida. May God protect and bring them home safely.
💟 María is grateful to God for David's birthday on Wednesday. She thanks God and asks for continued prayer for his health. She also gave God praise for Jeannie, who is having a birthday at the end of the month.
💟 Alex is thankful to the church for praying for his mom's aunt, Anicia during her cancer battle. He also thanks the church for praying for his family always.
💟 Kristina praised God for Seth's restored health and for God's favor and blessing over him always. She also praised Him for the miracles He is working in their Baby Girl, who had a scan to assess her development and is said to be looking perfect by the doctors! 🙌🏽 AND THE WHOLE CHURCH SAID...AMEN! 🥰
Let's keep praying for her growth, development and health...her next scan is November 5th!
💟 Carole thanks God for her church family and for the way we always come together to help one another!
💟 Gilbert expressed his thankfulness for all that God has done throughout his journey thus far. He is grateful that everything went well with his surgery and recovery, and we all praised God that Gilbert is able to stand and walk on his own! He thanks all those who've prayed, who showed their support in coming to his home to pray and lift him up and keep praying for him and his family. 🙌🏽 Gilbert is also grateful that God granted Everly another year of life and looks forward to holding her again.
We are also praying for:
🛐 María is requesting a prayer for her brother, Emmanuel, who suffered a fall and needs double surgery on his knee and elbow. Pray for healing!
🛐 Astrid's aunt, Anicia, who is battling lung cancer which has spread to her bones. She's in a lot of pain and Astrid is asking the Lord for mercy. Astrid also asked for prayer for her aunt's husband, who is paralyzed. Her aunt used to be able to take care of him, but now is unable. Astrid is asking that the Lord help them find a solution.
✝️ María asked that we continue to pray for her dad, who is battling prostate cancer. May the Lord bless and touch him with healing as he undergoes treatment.
🛐 Each and every silent prayer request lifted.
🛐 ALL of the children connected by love to The Lighthouse as they attend school with the added worries and stress associated with Covid. May God grant them a year filled with PROTECTION, good health, learning, friendships, memories and new MERCIES, available to them each and every morning! 🌅
🛐 Alex Edmond. Amel requested that we pray for Alex as he not only started college, but also got a job and will be very busy. May God guide and protect him - especially from Covid, as he will be interacting with many people on a daily basis.
🛐 Carole and her family, as they are in great need of prayer
🛐 Catheryn, Connor and growing Baby Llibre. May the Lord watch over and protect them, their new home and their future plans as they continue to walk with Him.
🛐 Protection and intervention on Elijah's behalf while he is in Florida. May God grant him and his family resolution on his custody case, that he might return to his family soon.
🛐 Our Bible Study groups on Sabbath morning and our Prayer Ports during the week. May they lead to stronger and healthier relationships with Jesus.
✝️ Angy's nephew, Jordan, as he deals with a health crisis. May God lead him to the right medical team, and may He then lead the team!
🛐 Matthew, as he deals with the pressures of the academy. May God strengthen and protect him as he continues to pursue his dreams in law enforcement.
HOW HAS JESUS LOVED YOU?
Have you ever observed Christians attempting to show their love for God in ways that He never asked? Things like making a habit of telling how much money, help, or guidance they've given to the less fortunate? Or claiming to have a deeper, better or clearer knowledge than others -usually by putting others down in conversations that happen behind their backs? I've done an exhaustive search! Jesus did NOT ask anyone to do those things in order to prove their love for their Savior!
In fact, Jesus didn't want to keep us guessing! He told us how to prove that we are His followers. He came right out and told us that the best and most effective ways that we can show our love for Him is for us is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. In fact, over and over in the New Testament, we see Jesus pointing to the correlation between love for Him and love for people. The two are so intertwined that 1 John 4:20 says, “Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a LIAR. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, Whom they have not seen.”
This emoji -------> 😲 exists for moments just like this! Some react with words like: "What a burn!" No matter how you choose to react, know this: Jesus Ain't Playing! How do I know? Because if you think John's words were harsh, Jesus took it a step further! He said that unless you live your life LOVING AND CARING FOR OTHERS, you will be unrecognizable to Him on that (otherwise) Great Day when He comes to take His people with Him to Heaven. On that day some will be calling out, "Jesus!Jesus! Here I am! Don't forget me!" And then Jesus warns that His response will be, "Are you talking to me? Because I don't know you! I have no idea who you are?"
Who among us can even IMAGINE Jesus saying this to us? Not. Me. It is inconceivable. It should make us ALL check ourselves daily. Our thoughts. Our actions the number of people that make us snarl or roll out ears when their names are mentioned in our presence. Because each time we ignore those things, we add another layer to our disguises as His followers and as His people. We make it a bit harder for Jesus to recognize us in the clamoring crowd.
Listen, anyone can claim to love others. The word “love” is so overused in our culture that it has lost its deep meaning and priceless value. That's why in John 13:34, Jesus clearly communicates what He wants when He tells us to love one another. “As I have loved you,” Jesus says, “so you must love one another.”
Perhaps you feel He has loved you very little. That He has not forgiven you. Neither of those things are true and I think each of us knows it! The question to ask ourselves then, is: "How has Christ loved us?" Words like faithfully, selflessly, unconditionally, unequivocally and sacrificially all come to mind. What words come to your mind? IS THAT HOW WE ARE LOVING OTHERS? Whether we are or not, let's be certain of this one thing. The way Jesus has loved us is EXACTLY how Christ wants us to love one other.
It is equally important to know that NONE OF THIS IS POSSIBLE WITHOUT JESUS LIVING IN YOU AND ME. So if you find your love for others LACKING, it's because Jesus' influence, presence and companionship must also be lacking in you.
Praise God, not even this is a hopeless situation because as His followers, we have been given the Holy Spirit, who wants to give us His influence, presence and companionship. When we invite Him in to our lives, He then empowers us to love in the same way that we have been loved.
It won't be easy. It won't feel good all the time, but He makes it possible to follow Christ’s command to love others in the same way He has loved you and me. C'mon...let Him in!
🙏🏽 Amen
Dear Jesus please come live in my heart so that I may love like you do.🙏🏽